1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing terminal and an information processing method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing terminal and an information processing method capable of providing a user interface by which an operation feeling can be felt even more.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in the field of computer games, various types of controllers in which, when a character in a game operated by a user receives some impact, vibrations are transmitted, have been commercialized.
For example, in a car-race game, when a vehicle operated by a user crashes into a wall, vibrations are generated in the vibration pad mounted in the controller, and the user can feel a sense of realism.
Also, there are some portable phones that have the function of informing users of a call reception by causing the housing thereof to vibrate.
However, since, for all these phones, merely, the entire housing is vibrated, there is a problem in that it is difficult to effectively inform users of various processing which is being performed by the terminal.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. An object of the present invention is to provide a user interface for an information processing terminal in which users can simply and reliably know contents of what is being processed.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, in one aspect, the present invention provides an information processing terminal comprising: performing means for performing a predetermined process; displacement generation means, having a plurality of displacement sections, for generating a displacement which is transmitted to the hand of the user in contact therewith, the displacement sections protruding from the housing of the information processing terminal; and control means for controlling the timings of individual displacements of the plurality of displacement sections of the displacement generation means in accordance with the process performed by the performing means.
The control means may control the timing of the displacements of a plurality of displacement sections so that, on the whole, the vibration proceeds in a predetermined direction.
The information processing terminal may further comprise communication means for communicating with another apparatus via a network, wherein the control means performs control so that the displacement section is displaced at a different timing between when the communication means receives radio waves from the other apparatus and when the communication means transmits radio waves to the other apparatus.
The information processing terminal may be a portable phone.
The information processing terminal may be a pen-type operation device.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an information processing method for use with an information processing terminal, the information processing method comprising: a performing step of performing a predetermined process; a displacement generation step of generating a displacement in a plurality of displacement sections which protrude from the housing of the information processing terminal, the displacement being transmitted to the hand of the user in contact therewith; and a control step of controlling the timings of individual displacements of the plurality of displacement sections in accordance with the process performed in the performing step.
In the information processing terminal and the information processing method, a predetermined process is performed, and a displacement is generated in a plurality of displacement sections which protrude from the housing of the information processing terminal, the displacement being transmitted to the hand of a user which is in contact therewith. Also, the timings of individual displacements of the plurality of displacement sections are controlled in accordance with a performed process.
According to the information processing terminal and method of the present invention, since the timings of the displacements of a plurality of displacement sections are controlled, it is possible to provide a user interface by which the user can confirm contents of what is being processed with the sense of touch.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.